IN 1996, Joe Girardi was a superior catcher to Jim Leyritz. But Leyritz had spent the season convincing Andy Pettitte that the lefty needed him as a personal catcher.

No one liked it much around that team. But Pettitte believed he was better with Leyritz putting down fingers than Girardi. So to keep his valuable No. 2 starter comfortable and confident in the playoffs, Joe Torre sat a player he liked and respected a heck of a lot more than Jim Leyritz.

Now Girardi is the managing Joe. Now he has a No. 2 starter who is more comfortable and confident with the backup catcher than the main guy. So now, Girardi will honor what is best for his pitcher by allowing A.J. Burnett to work with Jose Molina, Friday in Game 2 of the ALDS vs. the Twins, rather than Jorge Posada.

“As a manager you have to make a lot of tough decisions, and this was a tough decision,” Girardi said.

Girardi went this way because he recognizes that come October, what is best for your pitching is generally best for your team.

Remember the 2006 Division Series when Tigers manager Jim Leyland seduced the Yankees by terming their offense Murderers’ Row Plus Cano. The Yanks dismissed defense by starting novice first baseman Gary Sheffield and removing Melky Cabrera from left field in favor of Hideki Matsui. It was all bats all the time.

And the lessons that were reiterated in Detroit’s four-game victory were: Good pitching will shut down even an historic lineup, while bad fielding will further erode the confidence of fragile pitching.

As the Yanks were knocked out of three straight Division Series from 2005-07, their offense was not great. But the main culprit was a rotation that went 2-6 with a 6.38 ERA, and five starts of three innings or fewer in those 13 games. One of those miserable starts was by Randy Johnson, in Game 3 of 2005. That was the only time in the last 79 Yankees playoff games that Posada was not the starter. Instead, the finicky Johnson got his personal preference, John Flaherty.

So, obviously, Molina’s presence does not assure excellence from Burnett. It just removes doubt from his head at a time when the Yankees have decided to inflate Burnett’s value by starting him in Game 2 and, if necessary, a decisive Game 5.

Yes, it hurts the offense. But even with his vastly inferior bat, the Yanks managed to win 20 of Molina’s final 27 starts. And even with Molina in the lineup, the Yankees will have the vastly superior offense in the Division Series — and Posada will be around for late-game at-bats if necessary. If the Yanks do not score enough, that will be the fault of the Jeters, Teixeiras and A-Rods — not Molina.

Sure it would be nice if Burnett were mentally tougher. Just like Pettitte should have figured out the con Leyritz was running in 1996. But Burnett finished with a 1.88 ERA over his final four starts, all with Molina catching.

“When a pitcher and catcher are in rhythm,” Girardi said, “you hate to break it up.”

And this is more about rhythm than Posada’s arm. His throw-out percentage was 28 percent, the same as Molina. Burnett simply feels simpatico with Molina’s game-calling, and working in cadence is important for a flighty pitcher. Also, Molina is adept at framing pitches and Burnett’s repertoire — riding fastball and sharp bending curve — demands soft hands and a steady glove to keep exploding pitches near the zone to steal strikes.

Obviously, this is a blow to Posada, a prideful team leader. But no more so than when, also in 1996, Torre benched prideful team leader Tino Martinez in favor of Cecil Fielder. In that choice, Torre went for offense over defense.

So you go for what you need most when the games mean the most. And what the Yankees need most this October is Burnett thriving. That means Molina is the right choice for Game 2.